In Paris, eight individuals have gone on trial in connection with the 2020 beheading of Samuel Paty, a teacher targeted for showing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of speech. While Abdoullakh Anzorov, the 18-year-old Chechen assailant, was killed by police shortly after the attack, the trial focuses on those accused of indirectly encouraging his actions, turning a social media controversy into an international tragedy.

Paty, a well-regarded history teacher in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a suburb of Paris, had been teaching a lesson on free speech on October 6, 2020, referencing the controversial Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. He cautioned students to look away if they found the material offensive. The following day, however, a 13-year-old girl claimed Paty had singled out Muslim students and shown an inappropriate image, a lie that spiraled into a major hate campaign online.

The girl’s story was later discovered to be false—she hadn’t even attended the class. Despite this, her father, Brahim Chnina, spread her accusations online, sharing videos denouncing Paty by name. This sparked outrage, especially after Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a local Islamist, posted a 10-minute video accusing Paty of blasphemy. Social media amplified these accusations, leading to threats and hostile messages that overwhelmed Paty’s school and brought him severe stress.

As the story circulated, it reached Anzorov, a young refugee living in Rouen. Believing he was defending Islam, he made plans for a violent response. He allegedly enlisted the help of two friends—one who helped him purchase a knife and the other who drove him to Paty’s school on October 16, 2020, the day of the attack. He later beheaded Paty outside the school.

The trial, expected to last seven weeks, is examining the role of online incitement and indirect support. Two of the defendants are accused of labeling Paty a “blasphemer,” while the remaining six, including friends of Anzorov and online acquaintances, allegedly provided moral and logistical support. Prosecutors argue that these actions contributed to an environment in which Paty was marked as a target.

For the defendants, however, their lawyers contend that while they criticized Paty’s actions, they never explicitly called for violence, and Anzorov’s friends claim they were unaware of his intentions. Prosecutors counter that the climate of heightened extremism in France made any public denouncement of Paty dangerous, especially given the recent *Charlie Hebdo* republishing of cartoons and renewed threats against France.

The trial, set to conclude in December, is an emotional reminder for France of the risks posed by online hate campaigns and extremist rhetoric.